# What you wish you had been told when you started...



## joeysmac (Nov 11, 2008)

Hey there everyone. I'm smoking my first pipe tomorrow. I picked up a basket briar pipe and some tobacco the guy at the shop recommended for beginners.

Here's your chance to impart wisdom on a new brother. Let me know what you wish someone would have told you when you first picked up the pipe. I couldn't work it in tonight, but tomorrow a buddy of mine and I are lighting them up together. Can't wait to hear what ya'll have to say...


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## tzilt (Nov 20, 2007)

I wish I had known that just cuz a review says "tastes like figs, honey, wine, cream, salmon eggs grasshopper farts and heather blossoms" doesn't really mean it will taste any different than the other aromatic you burnt your mouth on.


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## PipesandGOP (Feb 7, 2008)

You can never be too careful when lighting to not char the rim of the pipe- same goes for relights, not only for the rim's sake but for the pipe's walls as well to keep them from getting pretty charred or even burn out.


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## Subotaj (Jan 8, 2008)

That it will damage my voice.


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## dmkerr (Oct 27, 2008)

I wish I had been told that pipes would be addicting. Not the nicotine but the desire to build a collection! And that costs money!!!! 

Enjoy your pipe!


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## Blaylock-cl (Apr 28, 2006)

I wish someone had told me, in the beginning, to go out and get a couple of cheap cobs and some good but cheap tobaccos...and just get used to the "how to's" of pipe smoking...packing, lighting, puffing, and tamping. 

Once you've gotten use to that, then the tobacco flavors will really start to be appreciated. My :2


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## perogee (Feb 29, 2008)

That the slope is long, steep, slippery and there are no emergency exits :ss


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## JAX (Sep 18, 2007)

That there will always be another tin of something you've gotta pick up and try. They may be affordable but the price tag adds up quickly.


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## parris001 (Mar 29, 2008)

I wish I had been told that it's not uncool to smoke aromatics. I had collected several aros I liked but then ditched them all for more sophisticated blends because of a lot of unkind things I had read. I developed a great relationship with Va/Pers, English, Balkan, and all the blends I heard things about but in the end I went back out and replaced the aros I had given away. 

Smoke what you like. Don't be swayed.


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## morefifemusicanyone (Aug 23, 2008)

Blaylock said:


> I wish someone had told me, in the beginning, to go out and get a couple of cheap cobs and some good but cheap tobaccos...and just get used to the "how to's" of pipe smoking...packing, lighting, puffing, and tamping.
> 
> Once you've gotten use to that, then the tobacco flavors will really start to be appreciated. My :2


:tpd:


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## drastic_quench (Sep 12, 2008)

"Skip the drugstore tobacco. There's a universe of top-quality tobacco online."


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## Vrbas (Sep 17, 2008)

dmkerr said:


> I wish I had been told that pipes would be addicting. Not the nicotine but the desire to build a collection! And that costs money!!!!
> 
> Enjoy your pipe!


:tpd::tpd::tpd:


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## Silky01 (Jul 16, 2007)

my advice? Re-read all the above.


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## PipesandGOP (Feb 7, 2008)

parris001 said:


> I wish I had been told that it's not uncool to smoke aromatics. I had collected several aros I liked but then ditched them all for more sophisticated blends because of a lot of unkind things I had read. I developed a great relationship with Va/Pers, English, Balkan, and all the blends I heard things about but in the end I went back out and replaced the aros I had given away.
> 
> Smoke what you like. Don't be swayed.


Very true. You'll learn that every moment you smoke deserves a certain blend fitting to that particular time. Could be the weather, time of day, or hell, just the mood you're in. But just because something's sweet or smells good (and this is coming from someone that doesn't smoke that many aro's) don't be afraid to try it because some guy says you're smoking a newb blend or a sellout or something. The same goes for not being afraid to try out new blends that aren't aromatics as well.. nothing like a rich english or balkan. 
Sorry to jump in like that but well frankly I've had too much to drink, am thoroughly enjoying my pipe atm, and just had to throw that in and second that whole thing parris001 said.p


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## Dog_Soldier (May 27, 2008)

Well lots of advice here so far. Get some corn cob pipes they are cheap and great for trying out new tobacco types. Smoke what tobaccos you want take the recomendations here as just that recomendations everyones tastes are different. Someone already recomended a cob and some "drug store blends", but some drug store blends can be kinda blah. Though try some Prince Albert it's a cheap "drug store blend", but it's been around for years and I think it tastes pretty good. 

Oh and welcome to Club Stogie, watch that first step the slope is steeper than it looks.


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## DubintheDam (Jun 5, 2007)

$50 bucks can get you a damn fine pipe to start with. And. Try Old Gowrie.


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## dogsplayinpoker (Jan 23, 2007)

uncballzer said:


> my advice? Re-read all the above.


lazy-ass!

Let aromatics dry out and pay close attention to your filling of the pipe. Fill a third of the bowl, press down slightly. Fille the next third, press down lightly. Fill the final third, press it down a little harder, leaving about 1/16th of an inch gap below the rim and give it a first light. Tamp down the tobacco that will have started to "puff"(your welcome Jon) up and relight. If when you draw(suck) on the pipe it feels similar to a plugged cigar, do yourself a favor, dump the tobacco out and refill.


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## joeysmac (Nov 11, 2008)

Thanks for all the tips friends! Keep 'em coming...


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## Beatnikbandit (Apr 24, 2007)

I had a lot of help along the way but i can give some tips i have learned. First get a week of cobs before you start buying briars. This way you will have enough pipes to smoke everyday. You should find a rack on eBay also a good source of estate briars. Before you light your bowl put some spit on the rim so you don't burn it too bad. Next find the way you like to pack your bowl the best there are many threads that say different ways. The way i prefer is the air pocket method, for me it give the coolest smoke. To do this take some tobacco and roll it into a ball larger than your pipes bowl so you have to work at putting it in but not large enough it would fill the bowl, then you press that wad in until there is about an 1/8th of an in below the rim, Making sure there is an empty space below the tobacco. It leaves an air pocket and hence the name. this way takes longer to create cake but its not problem if you try your best to smoke it to the bottom and if your using a cob don't even worry about it.

hmmm now to buying pipes, you probably will get a better smoke out of a cob than a "basket briar" so i would buy only Missouri Meerschaum with the hard wood plugs as they are the best, the Diplomat, The General,Great Dane spool or egg, The patriot*, *and personally i like the country gentleman although i think i does not have a hard wood plug bottom. It is actually not really needed but it makes it less likely to burn through being a newb smoker although your mouth will take a beating if you are. I like all these pipes and have a couple of some of them*.

*Personally i have a mini Meerschaum i use for tasting new tobaccos and having a taster pipe might be a good idea being a newb learning what you like. As tobacco goes i am told Lane and Specifically Q1 is a good beginners aromatic it is not too heavily cased and is a golden Cavendish. I have smoked it and i like it i still like it too. Currently i only smoke aromatics and my current favorite is DaVinci Made by Dan Tobacco its a Virginia and black Cavendish blend with a "Tuscan" red wine casing. I like it because it has just enough flavor for me with out being too cased. I would try one of the 2 blends i mentioned or anything from Lane is also recommended. I think i have given you more than enough info although if you like my info feel free to pm me. I am glad to see another pipe smoker to join the fold it is also very nice now that the economy is such s**t a pipe bowl costs cents and you can smoke all you want in a day for about a buck verses cigars which i now smoke more on special occasions (except my daily morning smoke i enjoy with my coffee while surfing the board before work)

Sorry if i told you too much or more than you wanted to know so like i said just pm me if you have any questions. Other than that i think you have a lot of good info on this topic.

Also check out this topic if you haven't already It has some info about almost everything pipe related:

http://www.clubstogie.com/vb/showthread.php?t=175150

ppHappy smokingpp​


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## Hydrated (Aug 9, 2006)

drastic_quench said:


> "Skip the drugstore tobacco. There's a universe of top-quality tobacco online."


Mine would be:

*"Skip the universe of top-quality tobacco online. There's some pretty good drug store tobacco right around you."*

What I mean is this... you do not have to spend a fortune on 10 year old tins of pipe tobacco to get a nice smoke. When you first take up the pipe, you will be focused on getting the damn thing to stay lit, when to tamp, how hard to tamp, how to fill the bowl, how to avoid cooking your tongue, etc. etc. etc.

Smoking a pipe takes practice, and you probably won't be able to really enjoy those expensive tins until you've gotten the hang of pipe smoking. Smoking really expensive tobacco right off the bat is sort of like buying a Porsche because you got a learner's permit to drive. You can operate it, but you won't be able to drive it like it should be driven.

An absolutely great starter blend is this:
50% Prince Albert + 50% bulk Lane BCA

It burns easily and will not bite your tongue. You can huff it like a freight train and the most that can go wrong is that it will taste ashy towards the end of the bowl (like any burley heavy blend). And it is cheap cheap cheap... I mix this stuff up for about $18 to $20 a pound. Trust me... a pound of tobacco is a lot of smoking.


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## drastic_quench (Sep 12, 2008)

Hey, whatever works for you. I quit smoking pipes about seven or eight years ago because all I had were drugstore tobaccos, and I didn't enjoy them. I went back to cigars and wrote off pipes. When I returned to pipes, I bought a lot of different 2oz tins (not aged) from blenders like Rattrays, Pease, Gawith, etc. They cost more, but it's something like 50 to 75¢ a bowl at the small tin price - so it's not breaking the bank.


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## dmkerr (Oct 27, 2008)

drastic_quench said:


> Hey, whatever works for you. I quit smoking pipes about seven or eight years ago because all I had were drugstore tobaccos, and I didn't enjoy them. I went back to cigars and wrote off pipes. When I returned to pipes, I bought a lot of different 2oz tins (not aged) from blenders like Rattrays, Pease, Gawith, etc. They cost more, but it's something like 50 to 75¢ a bowl at the small tin price - so it's not breaking the bank.


I don't disagree. If all that was available was what I started on, I wouldn't have stuck with the pipe. It was the Rattrays, McClellands, Escudo and the old Ashton stuff that made pipe smoking pleasurable.

On the other hand, I wouldn't recommend anyone start with that stuff. I actually like the Prince Albert/BCA suggestion for newbies.


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## Slow Triathlete (Jun 14, 2007)

I think that I would say to make a comprimise of what's being talked about above. Try everything!! Drug store tobaccos, more expensive tobaccos, etc. I started out with premium blends but have recently discovered Carter Hall and Prince Albert Choice Blend. I love all of it.

Also, what I tell every new piper is to be Patient. Patience is the name of the game here. When you finally get the technique down it's worth the wait.


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## Vrbas (Sep 17, 2008)

Be prepared to spend money not only on tobacco, but *storage*!

I mean, there's nothing wrong w/ double baggin, but IMO if you want a solid collection you need to have some jars around. They aren't expensive, but neither is fast food and you'd be surprised what an average person spends on that in a couple months time :BS



dmkerr said:


> I actually like the Prince Albert/BCA suggestion for newbies.


I actually like the 100% BCA suggestion for newbies


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## Slow Triathlete (Jun 14, 2007)

Vrbas said:


> Be prepared to spend money not only on tobacco, but *storage*!
> 
> I mean, there's nothing wrong w/ double baggin, but IMO if you want a solid collection you need to have some jars around. They aren't expensive, but neither is fast food and you'd be surprised what an average person spends on that in a couple months time :BS


Especially when you discover the Gawith Bulk Blends!!!

:chk


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## Davetopay (Jan 19, 2008)

I will put the cob pipe out there on the list again. They are SO much more hassle free than a nice briar, and MUCH better smokers than CHEAP briar/basket pipes.

Don't be afraid to try different blends, styles, and flavors. You never know what will hit you as a favorite.

The ideas of grabbing some Carter Hall or PA are good advice. They smoke easy, don't offend those around you, and help you develop good technique with out having to waste more expensive 'baccy.


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## frankluke (Dec 28, 2006)

smoke slow, you'll hear that a million times and it's the best piece of advice i can give, so, smoke slow, it's not a race.

don't over tamp, any bowl of tobacco after the charring light(s) should only be tamped 3 maybe 4 times, if that much.


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## parris001 (Mar 29, 2008)

I'll chime in again and say that in all probability you're going to burn your tongue. I don't know if a newbie burns his tongue because he smokes wrong or if if just happens because he's subjecting his tongue to something it's not used to. It's like when you learned to drink coffee. It scorched your mouth. Today you drink the same temperature coffee but you no longer get burned. 

You gotta play through the pain.


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## VFD421 (Nov 8, 2008)

Like stated above it takes practice. I became frustrated at first with the tongue bite, the packing and relighting that I almost gave up. Then I found this group. A few searches later I found so much helpful information I began to see the light and things improved. Now I feel I can sit back relax and enjoy a smoke.


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## petewho (May 22, 2008)

I am a total noob, but here's what's fresh in my mind:

- A cob with PA is almost foolproof. 

- Don't be discouraged by tongue bite - just read all the advice (drying your tobacco, don't let the pipe get too hot, if it gurgles run a pipe cleaner down it to dry it out then let it cool a little, don't tamp too hard, sip at the pipe instead of trying to get a big volume of smoke, etc) on here. 

- Get a pipe lighter

That's what's standing out to me.


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## Gig (Sep 6, 2008)

dmkerr said:


> I wish I had been told that pipes would be addicting. Not the nicotine but the desire to build a collection! And that costs money!!!!
> 
> Enjoy your pipe!


Yes, I wish i was told the same. I've only been in it now for over a year and love buying pipes. More so than smoking them, just love pipes :tu


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## OldDirty (Feb 24, 2008)

Hey guys I don't want to go off topic but which tobaccos would you give to a first timer to try with a background of smoking cc ? I'm contemplating picking up some Lane limited BCA, Prince Albert as suggested in this thread. I'll also be picking up a couple of different corn cob pipes to see which suits me best. Thanks


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## victory01 (Nov 14, 2008)

OldDirty said:


> Hey guys I don't want to go off topic but which tobaccos would you give to a first timer to try with a background of smoking cc ? I'm contemplating picking up some Lane limited BCA, Prince Albert as suggested in this thread. I'll also be picking up a couple of different corn cob pipes to see which suits me best. Thanks


I came from cigar smoking too. I asked my tobacconist the same question but in regards to Maduros and was told that cigars don't really translate into Pipe tobacco.


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## OldDirty (Feb 24, 2008)

victory01 said:


> I came from cigar smoking too. I asked my tobacconist the same question but in regards to Maduros and was told that cigars don't really translate into Pipe tobacco.


Thanks I guess should have made my self clearer. What I meant by my background of smoking cuban cigars is that I'm familiar with a high intake of nicotine. I'm not looking for that cuban cigar taste but rather something new which is why I want to try the pipe.


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## Hydrated (Aug 9, 2006)

OldDirty said:


> Thanks I guess should have made my self clearer. What I meant by my background of smoking cuban cigars is that I'm familiar with a high intake of nicotine. I'm not looking for that cuban cigar taste but rather something new which is why I want to try the pipe.


There are many pipe tobaccos out there that will knock your butt for a loop if you like nicotine. I'm not afraid of smoking a double ligero stick or two, so I'm not a total nicotine wimp... but I've tangled with some pipe blends that make me swoon like a prom night virgin.

Check out some reviews on tobaccoreviews.com for info on blends. Smoking a pipe takes some practice and patience... but it's well worth the effort. Since I started smoking a pipe, my cigar consumption went from at least 1 a day to about 3 or 4 a month. Pipe smoking is much more satisfying, interesting, and far cheaper than cigars (once you get your pipe rotation established and purchased).


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## brado (May 9, 2006)

OldDirty said:


> Hey guys I don't want to go off topic but which tobaccos would you give to a first timer to try with a background of smoking cc ? I'm contemplating picking up some Lane limited BCA, Prince Albert as suggested in this thread. I'll also be picking up a couple of different corn cob pipes to see which suits me best. Thanks


I came from cigars, as well. You might look for Cornell and Diehl's urple Cow". It's made with some Maduro cigar leaf.
Heck, when I first started I even chopped up one of my cigars and smoked it in the pipe! Not bad, BTW...


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## Mad Hatter (Apr 8, 2007)

I wish someone had told me not to bother with drugstore blends. They smoke well but the nic sucks. It wouldn't have done me much good when I was 18, 23, or 28 but at 31 I had the internet p


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## victory01 (Nov 14, 2008)

Subotaj said:


> That it will damage my voice.


i wouldn't say damage...yet. but it has made my voice a bit deeper, which isn't so bad for guys.


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